Warrior Cats High School
by Davross
Summary: Rusty has been going to Lakeview Prep Schools since he was little, and there was so sign of any reason to change that, and misery was not good enough in his eyes to justify. One night, though, on his way home from a late night of studying, something happens to give him what he's been looking for. Bad summary, I know. Rated T because later chapters and paranoia on my part.
1. Rusty

**Heeeeeeeey what's up everyone!? Davross here, finally back again with a new flash drive after I lost my other one, and with brand new(Sort of) content that I can _finally_ get out to you. This one, though, is actually... not young...? I guess? ...Question mark...? Anyway, I wrote this a long time ago, actually near the start of my "career" on FanFiction, so please be at least a little easier on it, because I wasn't so experienced in writing at the time. I can't really think of anything else to say right now that won't just seem like senseless ramblings and whatnot, so i guess, without further ado... LET'S DO THIS!**

 **...Good lord, it's been ages.**

Groaning in annoyance, Rusty shot his hand out, smashing the snooze button on his alarm clock, before sitting up in his bed. Raising his arms high above his bed, he gave a huge yawn, stretching himself as he did every morning, giving satisfied grunts as he felt his spine pop in several places, and with it went a considerable amount of tension in his back. Heaving a nervous sigh, he shook his head, throwing his bedsheets off of himself and stood.

' _No sense putting it off,_ ' he thought, albeit unhappily; today was his first day at his new High School, and like always with all things school, he wasn't looking forward to it. His parents had bought a new house larger than their last, which was all well and good, except it was too far for him to keep going to his old school. He didn't like the fact, though not because he would miss all of his friends. He didn't really have any of those anymore anyway. It wasn't because they got into fights and split up, and nor was it the fault of any of them. There was absolutely nothing that he had against them at all. They had simply grown apart as time passed.

When it happened, when they had all changed and gone their separate ways, Rusty made sure to stay the same. He acted like more the loner type as time wore on and on, and he ceased gaining any friends as well. His parents had grown concerned for his wellbeing, but were put at ease when he reassured them that there was nothing wrong, that it was no doubt just a phase, and that he'd one day suddenly come home with stories about how many friends he'd made earlier that same day in school. They were relieved that their son was doing alright, and that he wasn't going through anything bad.

Truth be told though, he was lying through his teeth. He wasn't alright at all, he knew it wasn't just a phase, and he was pretty sure that he wouldn't be getting any new friends for a while. He was still hopeful though, because he was going to a different school, and something told him that this year was going to hold excitement aplenty for him. After getting completely ready for school with ten minutes to spare for student orientation, he grabbed his satchel( full of textbooks, multiple journals, a sketchpad, and his laptop), threw the strap over his shoulders, and gave himself a once-over.

"Student I.D., pocket, check… School stuff, satchel, check and check… Reading glasses…" Pausing for a moment, he picked up the case, carefully inspecting the contents, then slid them into his pocket. "…Check… Ready to go… Nah, but what the hell? Let's do this thing!" With that out of the way, he rushed out the door, sliding his phone into his right pocked(His glasses are in his left), closed and locked the front door behind him, slid his sunglasses(He called them shaders, though to this day, he still couldn't tell you why), and started sprinting full-tilt towards his new school, deciding to test himself in his free-running.

For the past few weeks, while his family got situated in their new home and got his schooling all set up, he'd spent all of his time either playing his Assassin's Creed games(He owned all of them), or doing the free-running he saw in them. It took plenty of time, effort, dedication, and lots of physical training to make him able, as well as practice at free-running itself to get where he was now. He paid the closest attention to the system used in Assassin's Creed Unity, as that was the most intuitive and challenging system to master, so he put off doing it until after he'd gotten well enough at the other methods.

Evidently though, Rusty was one hell of a fast learner, because he caught on to each system with remarkable speed, even adding his own moves and motions to the mix. Effectively free-run while burning up only a small bit of energy over a long period of time, while still having plenty to burn later on when it was needed, became such a simple thing and small worry in his mind so quickly it was astonishing to him... Astonishing, and a so very curious, considering doing so well in free running, endurance, and the like took _years_ to develop so far, yet, soon enough, here he was moving fluidly along in this art, barely used any energy at all as he went, could go on for hours on end and still be able to sprint for the next twenty minutes straight, then still have it left in him to put up a good fight later(He assumed, considering it had never happened).

Having reached just outside of his Prep school, Lakeview high, he smoothed out his school-regulated suit, straightened his Bowtie, and made for the front doors. Truth be told, there were so many hundreds more who would love, or dare he say _kill_ , to be lucky enough to gain the spot he was in now, and there was actually those who even dreamed of it.

' _Well, they can have it,_ " he thought bitterly. He hated going to the Lakeview schools, which he'd been attending for years. It wasn't that he had anything against them, and more the fact that he just didn't find anything about it to be worth enjoying. The place gave him absolutely no motivation whatsoever, no drive, and no wish to strive for anything. By going to this school, he was already guaranteed spots in any classed he wanted at any college of his choosing, and that was simply because he was attending a Lakeview school at all, and an absolute certainty since his grades were always perfect.

The reason that he hadn't looked for any friends in any of the other students was because they took the school they were in as a sign that they were better than everyone else, and acted on those beliefs every day, speaking as though they had an I.Q. larger than they were tall, acting regal, and treating _anyone_ who didn't attend any Lakeview schools as trash. Rusty didn't want anything to do with them, and wanted even less to be seen or even _exist_ in the same general area as them,

As he did every day, he blew through all of his classes with ease and distaste, wishing for something different, wishing for a change. Hell, he would even go to the public high school, Thunderstone High, just to escape this awful place!

When the end of the day finally rolled around, Rusty didn't even bother Free-running home. He wanted to just walk, take his time, and calm down before he walked through his front door. The cool air felt nice against his face, and the quiet of his general surroundings put him at ease.

At least, that is, until he felt an explosion of pain in his shoulder as a fist collided with it. Acting on instinct, he whirled around, using the same arm to deliver one hell of a punch to the gut of his assailant, then a rough shove, sending him back away a few feet. Rusty stayed tense, ready for a fight if he had to, but was overcome with confusion when his assailant relaxed his own posture, laughed a bit, and stretched

"Not bad, man!" he said, catching Rusty off guard again. Walking forward into the street lights, he revealed himself to be another teen about Rusty's own age, and extended his hand, grinning. Rusty didn't know what to do, so he just stood there a tad awkwardly, glancing between the other boy's extended hand and his face, confused. Catching on, he softened his smile, making it seem less crazy, and wiggled his fingers. "You know, you _can_ shake my hand. I don't bite." Not wanting to upset the other boy, Rusty extended his own hand, grasping the boy's and gave it a firm shake.

"Who are you?" he asked, wondering just who he was dealing with.

"Oh!" the other boy exclaimed, smacking his forehead. "Sorry about that! I'm Greystripe, from over at Thunderstone. Nice to meet you!"

"Um… Nice to meet you too, I guess. My name's Rusty."

"Rusty, huh? Cool!" Greystripe grinned again, raising his hands and putting them behind his head, lacing his fingers together. "From the getup, and the fact that I've never seen you before ever, I assume you go to Lakeview?" At this, Rusty's mood plummeted again, and it must have showed, as Greystripe blinked in confusion and took a step back, to which Rusty just raised a calming hand.

"Unfortunately, yeah," he said, glaring off into the stars. "If you want to go there, then I advise you stop dreaming; place isn't all it's cut out to be."

"Whoa, really? Bummer…"

"You have no idea." They stood there in silence for a few moments more, shuffling their feet awkwardly, before Greystripe piped up again.

"Look, I'm sorry about hitting you," he said, making Rusty look back to him in confusion. "Truth be told, I only did it on a twenty dollar bet from those two back there." He pointed over his shoulder, and following the gesture, Rusty looked back to see that there were indeed two more guys standing at the end of the street. Unfortunately, though, the streetlamp they were standing beneath flickered, then went out, as it tends to do sometimes, blanketing the two others in shadow and preventing Rusty from getting a good look at them. Upon seeing Greystripe point them out and Rusty look over, they waved and called for their friend. "I'm coming!" he called back to them, before turning back to Rusty and patting his shoulder. "Look, I gotta go, but you should definitely look into joining Thunderstone if you aren't happy at Lakeview. I know a certain club that would absolutely love to meet you! I think you'd really fit in well!"

With that out of the way, he turned and ran back to his friends, shouting a quick goodbye and throwing a wave over his shoulder, and together, they took off to… wherever they were going. Rusty, though, shouldn't help but smile. Thunderstone didn't have the cleanest reputation from what every student at Lakeview sees them as, but from what he just saw, suddenly it seemed like it wasn't all that bad a place after all. Turning around, he started walking much quicker towards his home, eager to get back and speak with his parents, albeit nervous as to what they would think and say about his decision.


	2. Discussion

**Heeeeeeeey what's up everyone!? Davross here, back on schedule and with another chapter. Before we begin, I'd really like to adress my last one, and in said adress, I'd like to say that I'm astonished. I'm so happy over how well the last chapter was recieved; two follows, three favorites,** _ **and**_ **two reviews in under forty-eight hours! I honestly cannot thank you who decided mmy story and I were worth it, because that is always awesome, and it always makes my day. With that, I'd like to try something a little different- something I've seen many other good authors here on FanFiction do.**

 **Snowcrystan of Thunderclan: First of, thank you! Second, I could, but then it wouldn't necessarily be too relatable to a high school story. I can promise, however, that it won't happen nearly as often as you may usually find in such a story, and it won't be any of the big ones. Any swearing will be few and far between, although I can't rightly have said curses be in classic Warrior bad-mouthing.**

 **Echo in the Whispering Wind: One, I feel like I've seen your name before. Two, thanks! I'm really glad to know you like it.**

 **...Ooh! Also, somehting else I forgot to mention - please forgive me if you see a few formatting issues I didn't catch. My laptop doesn't have Microsoft Office on it, so I had to transfer my stories over to WordPad, and because of this, there's some formatting and punctuation stuff missing. Anyway, you guys came here for a story, so once again, without any further ado, LET'S DO THIS!**

"You want to _what?!"_

Geez, he knew his parents wouldn't really be all for his decision, but seriously, was his mother immediately reverting to shouting really necessary? Coming to stand beside her and resting a calming hand on her shoulder, his father gave Rusty his 'Serious' look, the look that demanded the absolute truth and nothing else. That look had gotten to him so many times and made him tell his father things he tried to keep a secret, and could easily make any teen crack under it in Rusty's opinion.

Truth be told, he also firmly believed that it could most likely make an _adult_ crack after a while.

"Rusty, have you given this your full thought?" his father asked him, 'The Look' never faltering. Rusty evenly met his gaze, although said gaze – as it always had – made him feel a tad uneasy.

"Yes sir," was his wholehearted reply, one that came with a cincere nod. He was absolutely certain of himself in this. He was very tired of Lakeview, the people in it, the lack of motivation, and the _repetition!_ Every day was the same thing, just different lessons, and said lessons were literally the only difference every single day, that was it, that was _all_ , and it was _INFURIATING!_ It drove him absolutely insane every day, and the only escape he ever had was after five when the day let out, and he was walking home. "Trust me, I know that this is extremely important to you, and it's _because_ it's so important that I'm being so completely honest with you both about this. I'd like to transfer from Lakeview Prep School to Thunderstone high."

In the past, his whole family had a problem with communing properly beetween one another, although truthfully, everyone played their own role in it. Rusty's was merely his lack of communication altogether for a while. So fed up with _that_ too, Rusty told his mother than they all needed to have a family meeting, in which he told them all that they needed to work on the aforementioned problem, and that they _needed_ to start listening more to what the other(s) had to say, listening in on and searching/asking for the full detail of the speaker's side. He'd brought it to everyone's full attention that they didn't listen, and only heard a small part of something that could have been extremely huge, argued what they listened to, then blew off the rest. He also explained to them just how much it might affect all of them in the future, regardless of how near or far.

So on that note, they had all unanimously agreed at work hard at hearing each other out more than they had in the past. Today, his parents were really putting that agreement to the test. They had worked like no tomorrow to get their son into Lakeview when he was about three and a half feet tall and still thier little boy, so it pained them now to hear that he wanted out after an entire decade in their boarding schools. However, he was sixteen years old, perfectly capable of making his own decisions, and they could see in his expression and his eyes that he was indeed telling them nothing but the truth. Their son had never been one to talk about his feelings, but he didn't need to; his eyes couldn't lie, and they showed everything.

"And you're… you're absolutely certain?" Rusty winced at hearing his mother's voice, full of emotions, and none of them pleasant ones. Nodding, he turned his gaze to her, and she knew it was over; she could never turn down those gorgeous, deep, forest green eyes, and she could see in them just how much thought he had put into this crucial choice. She could see every minute, every _hour_ that he'd spent mulling over it, taking everything into consideration.

"Absolutely, mom," he replied, nodding again, adetermined set in his posture. "There's absolutely nothing about Lakeview that I'm going to miss in the slightest anymore, and aside from everything I've already told you( **A/N: They were talking while I was explaining to you the listening thing.** ), if I don't go somewhere else, I'm going to snap off and hit someone in school, I know I will. I'm doing this also because Lakeview, while still a great school, is very expensive, and has been putting a tremendous financial strain on you and dad." Raising his hand to silence his mother, who had opened her mouth to protest, he continued. "I know that the two of you would do anything to make sure that Penny **(Her name here)** and I get the best that you can give us, but something you have to understand is that the best _things_ aren't always the best _option_. Sometimes, you have to settle for less to in some things to make sure that the rest runs much smoother. Thunderstone is much cheaper than Lakeview, and yet I'll still be getting the same education for less money, over lett time every day, I'll have more free time to help out with chores around the house, I'll be able to help Penny with some of her work, look for a job for myself… and to top it all, since we'll be going to the same school now, I'll be able to watch over her while we're there. She's been telling us that there's been a few guys watching her and being all-around creepy, and they've even started making advances on her too, so they might be planning to make a move soon enough, and I want to be there to step in if something's up."

They had to admit, those were some very solid points he'd just made, and it struck his parents that he was, in fact, right. In every point he'd made, he was just so very right, and they couldn't deny that. Sighing and running a hand down his face, his father walked around the couch and sat down heavily. The pros, by far, outweighed the cons in this situation. He was absolutely certain that there was one reason that Rusty was doing this for his own wishes, but it was seriously outweighed by the rest of them. After staying there like that for the next few minutes, the room silent, and full of an extremely tense feeling in the air, Rusty's parents exchanged a glance, a silent conversation traveling between the two at high speeds, before they looked back to him.

"We'll see," was their simultaneous response. Then, his mother continued the thought. "We're going to have to visit the school first to see what it's like first to figure out whether or not it's alright." Rusty nodded in agreement with the one current pre-req.

"I understand, mom," he replied, finally giving a small smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really think it's high time I went off to bed!" Standing up from his spot in the armchair, he went to his parents, wrapping them into hugs, wishing them goodnight, and then turned away and walked up to his room. Tonight had been very stressful, but he had a pretty good feeling about his proposition. For once regarding his schooling, things were actually looking up.

Tomorrow, though… Tomorrow was going to be… _interesting,_ to say the least.


	3. Thunderstone

**Heeeeeeeey, what's up everyone? Davross here, and welcome back for another chapter of WCHS! In case ou're wondering why there's** _ **three**_ **updates one after another, it's becaus of the lack of** _ **any**_ **last week, which I'm so sorry about! I had to completely redo chapter three because when I went over it, it looked like trash, but while I was doing that, my schedule kept somehow getting busier over and over again, preventing me from finishing and thus uploading on time. I really hope you guys could forgive me for my tardiness! I promise you, I didn't mean to get this uploaded so late! You guys have been waiting nearly two whole weeks by now for this, so I won't keep you waiting any longer, and therefore, without any further ado, LET'S- Actually, hold on, real quick, REVIEWS!**

 **Snowycrystal of Thunderclan: *Jumps up and down with you* You don't have to wait much longer, I swear!**

 **Echo in the Whispering Wind: THANK YOU SO MUCH! Seriously, I don't know what I did to deserve this much support, but it means the world to me!**

 **Ruri: Thanks for being so enthusiastic about this! I have a question though... Why settle for one update... when you can have** _ **three!?**_

 **Okay then, now, without any** _ **further**_ **ado,** _ **LET'S DO THIS!**_

 **...Finally...!**

Secretly taking a deep breath to steady his thundering heart and calm his nerves, Rusty pushed open one of the double doors leading into Thunderstone, holding it open for his parents. The night before, he had been brimming with far more than excitement, but now, he was filled with nothing but the utmost trepidation, and a small shred of hope. Before, he was so ecstatic over the prospect of actually getting away from Lakeview, but now that they were really here, this was _really_ happening, and he was _really_ accompanying his parents to _really_ talk with the Principal about the school and all to judge if he could _really_ enroll, he was filled with nothing more than extensive trepidation and only a small scrap of hope.

Dread had long since settled into his stomach, nestled tightly beside his worry and doubt. His mouth felt like it was filled with either paste or peanut butter, though either way making him equally unable to speak, and his legs felt as though they were made of or filled with lead. His heart kept beating erratically in his chest, and his stomach had twisted its way into a very tight and remarkably complex knot, having led him to the belief that eating breakfast this morning had been a terrible idea long ago.

First impressions meant the world to his parents, hence Rusty's current lack of any enthusiasm. They meant to leave earlier than they had, so that they might arrive during class time and thus wouldn't be caught in the flood of students heading to their next class, but they kept being delayed by _something_ or another, and so, Rusty assumed, they'd walked in just befo-

 _RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!_

...There is was. He sighed, shaking his head, before letting his gaze rest upon the crowd, dumbfounded. Contrary to the supposed beliefs of nearly everyone attending Lakeview, everyone here looked... _normal!_ their clothes were fine, their conduct was fine, and the small percentage of the students who actually had any dyes in their hair didn't go overboard with it at all! He'd heard so many times that almost everyone _had_ their hair dyed, and that they'd gone crazy with the amount of it and what it covered, but this... the few he saw barely had any!

"Hey Rusty!" Someone familiar-sounding shouted from behind him. Turning toward the voice, he saw Graystripe jogging over. When he reached them, he and Rusty shook hands again, the latter matching the former's smile. "Good to see you again!"

"Good to see you too, man!" Rusty replied wholeheartedly. "I was just on my way to see the Principal with my parent's to see about getting enrolled here." Graystripe seemed rather pleased to hear this.

"Hey, that's great!" he said, seeming rather excited by the news, before looking around over the sea of colorful hair, then turned his eyes to Rusty's parents and pointed across the lobby. "The main office is over there. I'm... pretty sure Mrs. Stacy is in there now. She got in a little late because of traffic, but she should be at the desk now, although if she's not, then Mr. Reznov should definitely be in. Either one can take you to Mr. Pine."

"Alright then," Rusty said, speaking for them. "Thanks for that! We were actually going to go to Guidance to ask where the office was." Graystripe just shrugged.

"I gathered, given where you were walking," he replied. "Anyway, I'd better hurry and get to my next class." He started walking backwards rather quickly, looking like he was prepared to sprint full-tilt if he had to. "Nice seeing you again, Rusty!" With that, he turned around and jogged away across the lobby, then down the hall, and the three of them watched him until he disappeared from sight. Rusty was smiling, trying not to laugh at the unspoken sentence he'd caught in Graystripe's eyes about how another tardy would get him throttled.

"Rusty," his mother said, curiosity and slight confusion heavy in her voice, "who was that?" Rusty, lost for any words for a few seconds, or rather simply unable to find any, opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, silent, before simply settling on "A friend.", which obviously sent both of his parents beaming; he wasn't even enrolled yet, and he was _already_ doing better here socially than he ever had at Lakeview!

"Now," he continued, pleased to know he'd made his parents so happy in just two words, "shouldn't we be going?" He honestly felt much better about this whole thing now that he'd spoken with Graystripe, and felt like he was ready to speak with Mr. Pine.

"Yes," his father hummed, seemingly much more content himself, "let's." As they approached the office, Rusty felt his previous nervousness over the situation spike again, but this time, he was easily able to simply will it under control, his hopes too high to allow such negativity.


	4. Meeting

**Heeeeeeeey, what's up everyone? Davross here, with your second of today's three new chapters of WCHS! Again, I'm so sorry I couldn't get this up last week like I was supposed to, and I'm so sorry to have made you wait so long. Thank you, though, for actually liking this enough to wait on it, not to mention, the wonderful reviews I've gotten! It's all so amazing, and it keeps me motivated to keep on writing, knowing that you all like it as much as you do, so, obviously, I'm gonna keep this going for as long as I possibly can! Good God though... seeing my old work and how I wrote back in the day...Jeysus. Anyway, you all came here to read the next chapter in a story, so I won't keep you any longer, and thus, without further ado,** _ **LET'S DO THIS!**_

 _ **(Sde note: Next chapter is well on its way to being finished, but I had to rewrite that too. It should be done sometime later today.)**_

"Now," the Principal began, gesturing to the three chairs set before his desk, "go on, have a seat, and we'll get right into this!" Sitting down himself, he turned for just a moment to lower the brightness on his screen so it wouldn't prove a distraction, then returned his full attention back to Rusty and his parents. "You may ask anything about the school you like, and I assure you, you'll get the information you've asked for. If you need to think about certain questions, then by all means, take all of the time you may need. We have plenty to spare." Nodding, Rusty was the first to speak up, voicing his question before his parents had time to mull over their own.

"What kind of after-school activities to you have here?" he asked, genuinely curious. He wasn't used to having a lot of free time, and going to this new school with its much shorter schedule meant that he would have an extra three to four hours of it, so he wanted to see just what his options were for spending it. Who knows, maybe he'd find something he would actually enjoy! Upon hearing Rusty's question, Mr. Pine's smile grew wider and somehow even warmer, and a new light made its way into his eyes.

"Oh, we have a great array of things to do after hours," he said, opening a drawer in his desk and pulling out several different files, laying each down as he listed the names of each. "We have Track, Basketball, Soccer, Football, Golf-" Rusty took a sidelong glance at his father, a knowing look in his eyes, "FFA stuff, extra Shop Class activities you could apply for, there's Band, Choir, Art club, Debate club, and even an MMA club at the other end of the school." Immediately, Rusty's full attention was caught where it stood after he heard the last part. Returning his gaze from his parents to Mr. Pine, he could hear Greystripe's voice ringing in his ears, his final words before his departure playing over.

" _There's a certain Club I know of who'd love to have you!_ " Was that what he'd meant by that? The MMA Club? Evidently, his eyes must've shown with interest a little too brightly, because Mr. Pine immediately caught on to it.

"Ah, I see there's a fighting spirit in you, eh?" His mother looking horrified by the mere notion, she opened her mouth to fire off her protests, but Rusty beat here there again.

"Aye, sir!" he said, excitement already brewing in his chest, a smile he didn't know about very slightly tugging at the corners of his lips. Suddenly realizing something, he sat back again, having not even realized he'd leaned forward in the first place. "Wait…. What about-"

"The other participants? Don't you worry a thing, Rusty, I've personally met each and every one of them, and I even snuck up on one of their sessions before. They're all quite kind and trustworthy, and they're very patient with any new entries they get, taking things as slow as they need to. I should also mention that my son, Tanner, is a part of them as well, and has never once spoken a single negative word against them. All I ever hear about the group of theirs is great, amazing things." As he spoke, this time, Rusty knew his smile was growing, and taking a short glance at his parents, he saw that his mother was calming down in regards to the idea, and his father… If his mother didn't like it, then she was going to have one hell of a debate with his his father when they got home, because the look on his face was speaking his mind enough to say that he was perfectly alright, and might even encourage Rusty to join. "They're all very sociable, too, so I have no doubts that you'll be quick to make plenty of new friends!"

Rusty's eyes snapped open, his pupils narrowing, and from the corner of his eye, he saw his mother have a similar reaction. She was caught; she knew that if Rusty didn't take up this activity like she knew he wanted to, then he would no doubt try everything he could to stay away from the other students, to not speak to them, to not interact at all. If he didn't do this, he would have become exactly what he had in Lakeview. Still, there was something she still had to ask the man seated before her.

"What of the risks?" At this, Mr. Pine sighed, his smile fading a little, before he met Rusty's mother's gaze with level, weary eyes.

"Since the class is in Martial Arts, there will be some potential safety hazards if all rules of conduct within the Club are not met and followed accordingly. We've had some students in the past actually be kicked out of the club by their leader, Brianna Sterling, because the students were being reckless, ignoring the rules, and putting the safety of themselves and everyone around them in danger. Make no mistake, their practice is indeed a tad dangerous in itself, but Brianna _will not_ by any means tolerate any messing around or acting like a fool, and if anyone does, then she sees to it they are dealt with accordingly.

"On that same note, in the end, there are also the potential small injuries, cuts, and bruises that may occur simply from the training alone. Fortunately enough, their Club has its own medic, Sarah Larks, who is actually very skilled in medical treatments for all numbers of different medical emergencies of any and every kind. As I've heard from nearly every member of the Thunder Cats, the name the Club gave themselves, she puts a great amount of care into what she does, taking account of and paying very close attention to every little detail in the situation." At mention of those two girls, Brianna and Sarah, his mother smiled, finally content in knowing that not only did this group provide a place for Rusty to go, meet people, get friends, and have a good time, all the while learning to defend himself, but that while he may be hurt in some way during his stay there, he was in very good, very experienced hands. She was still worried regardless – Rusty _was_ her child, after all, and had his father's knack for getting himself hurt nearly every single day – but she knew that if he did get hurt or injured in any way, he would be well-cared for.

His father grinned, sensing the change in the way his beloved wife was thinking about this Club and whether or not Rusty could partake, and knew that he wouldn't have to put up much of a fight in Rusty's defense if he did in fact want to join them, and that was only if he had to fight at all, though, if his mother's expression was anything to go by.

"Do either of you have any more questions?"

"Aye." Well of course his father piped up on that one, and judging by the look on _his_ face, both Rusty and his mother could rather easily guess what he was about to ask. The one word to take it all, but in the form of a question. "Tournaments?" At that, so large was his elated grin, Pine's face nearly split into two. That alone was the only answer Sean needed, and his own grin grew to match that of the man sitting across from him and his family.

"But of course!" Pine exclaimed, a chuckle escaping his lips. "At least once every couple of months, there's a huge tournament held between the four schools, Thunderstone, River's End, Wynder, and Shadow Creek, and a grand prize and party held in honor of the victor. Participating is entirely optional, as some students may have some very important things to attend at home, may be away, or maybe simply don't want to, not to mention the parent's order on the matter, so you don't have to worry about your boy getting in over his head if he's to join them." Sitting back, his father smiled, nodding his head, in full agreement with those terms. His mother seemed relieved, though not so much with the victory prizes, and far more so at the knowledge that participation was not a mandatory subject.

The three talked with Pine for another full hour and a half, covering the ground rules of the school, what he expected from his students, the behavior and actions that he wouldn't tolerate, etc. After the meeting was over, and they were returning to the car to go back home, Rusty couldn't help the immense amount of hope he felt toward his chances. His parents had expressed a great amount of approval, and had done so without even meaning to; they may not have said anything, but then again they didn't have to; their expressions said it all. When he asked them the big wuestion after they'd returned home, they shared a glance, then looked back at him, simultaneously telling him that they'd think about it.

That night, Rusty went to bed giddier than he'd ever been, so full of nervous excitement that he was amazed to find out the next morning that he'd somehow managed to fall asleep.


	5. Morning After

**Heeeeeeeey, what's up everyopne? Davross here, and welcome back to yet another chapter of WCHS! I'm sorry I didn't get this installment in on time, but unfortunately, I didn't have any time to get it finished when I was hoping to,although, fortunately, I do have it here now. Again, though, I still can't apologize to you guys enough for making you wait so long on these chapters, even if this one was only late by a few hours. I'm sorry if I haven't put up a reply to your review here just yet, but I am going to in the next chapter. The reason I'm waiting is because typically, I do get replies from several people, but much later, no doubt form being busy or because time zone differences, and thus haven't had a chance to read/review yet. I will still be replying, don't worry! I just want to wait until Thursday so that other people have time to read the other chapters and review if they wish to. Anyway, I believe I've kept you from the last of three chapters I'm uploading today, so once more, without any further ado...** _ **LET'S DO THIS!**_

Well this, to be perfectly honest, was definitely _not_ what Rusty was expecting to wake up to the following morning. First off, for the first time in two years, he wasn't waking up to the insistent screaming of his alarm at five-thirty. Instead, he was aroused from his slumber soaking his pillow with drool from the mouth-watering aroma wafting up into his room from the kitchen, meaning that one or even neither of his parents had left for work yet, despite it being seven now. The next serious oddity was one a little more confusing; his suit, carefully washed and ironed each night and hanged on his door, was missing, and replaced by something much more… _casual_. A red flannel over shirt with carefully rolled-back sleeves sat perched around a light blue, v-neck tee, faded blue jeans sitting neatly upon a chair he's only just noticed, and grey shoes decorated with grey Realtree camo and faded orange on the soles and laces.

Unable to restrain himself (admittedly, he wasn't trying that hard), he stood from his bed and slowly made his way over to the new clothes, never taking his eyes from them for a second, as if afraid they might disappear if he did. Without placing any proper thought behind his actions, he slipped out of his sleep shorts (the only thing he wore while he slept beyond his underwear), and slowly worked his way into the new, more casual clothes, awestruck my how nice they felt in comparison to his usual suits or dress shirts. That's actually what he wore to Thunderstone for their talk with Principal Pine, a plain white dress shirt and his normal black pants and shoes.

Normally, when Rusty looked into a mirror, he would move as quickly as he could to finish what need be, like straighten his tie or comb his hair, so he wouldn't have to be there to behold himself any longer than was actually necessary. Now though... now, for all he may or may not have tried, he ouldn't bring himself to move at all, to caught up in marveling at just how _natural_ these new clothes seemed on him, not to mention how much better he looked wearing these rather than the usual suit and tie. He just couldn't believe his eyes. Better still, they fit so well, as if they's been made just for him, and felt just as good!

He stopped after a few minutes, though, suddenly struck with confusion over where they must have come from. How did tey get here? And why his room? It took several seconds, but soon enough, it hit him: his mother, later last night, before he'd had gone to bed, said she had to go shopping for a few things, and Rusty, too giddy and tired from the day's stress, hadn't questioned it. His face lit up suddenly. Lakeview would never stand for this kind of garb from their students, and he had no appointments or special occasions to go to, or anything of the sort...

"No...!" he whispered, a grin stretching its way across his face, before he took off running down the stairs, nearly sending himself falling instead in his excitement, especially when he reached the bottom. He quickly righted himself and looked between his parents, father on the couch and mother in the kitchen preparing something wonderful-smelling, his smile gone, but the surprised question and wonder ever-present in his expression. "Y-you two-" he stuttered out, unable to form a proper, coherent sentence in his hope and elation-fueled excitement. "Did you-!? Am I-!?"

 _Whack!_

Rubbing the spot on his head the cereal box long since emptied by now yet for some reason never thown awayhad so squarely hit, he gave his sister an incredulous look, their parents trying desperately to surpress their laughter. Penny, however, continued to simply stare at her phone screen as if nothing had happened, although he could see that she was fighting the smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Calm down, ya dingus," she said. "Seriously, it's not like the world is ending." Unable to keep it at bay any longer, their parents finally burst into near-uncontrollable fits of laughter, which took roughly a full minute or two for them to reign in again.

"Why-" his father began, before laughter nearly took over again, suppressed - though barely - by a cough. "Why do you think we actually sent you out of the office for privacy?" he finally managed to ask. Rusty froze, his face still as the grave, but his heart in first at the Indie 500, his excitement so immense he felt once again as if he might burst, because his father had just indirectly confirmed what he'd tried to ask. "Quite literally the first thing asked came from your _mother_ , and-"

"Breakfast is served!" his mother interjected as she walked back into the room, carrying a large platter that she set on the table, revealing the four plates heaped with blueberry pancakes, eggs, and and bacon. In the middle of the platter was a large bowl of biscuits, and he could only assume that the last smell still wafting in from the kitchen was her family-famous gravy to go with them. The sight of it all forcced Rusty to swallow, or his mouth would have flooded with saliva.

Minutes later, they were all still digging into their breakfast, Rusty especially enjoying himself considering he'd gone much longer than his father and sister without his mother's cooking. Just before he could take yet another of the few bites of food he had left on his plate, something ssuddenly crossed his mind that gave him pause. Looking up at his father, he cleared his throat so that he might speak.

"Hey dad," he began, wonder once more sparkling in his eyes, "what was mom's question?" While said woman seemed confused about what he could mean, his father immediately caught on. Unfortunately, though, he still had food in his mouth, so, not wanting to be reprimanded, he chewed for a few more seconds, swallowed, then looked Rusty right in the eyes.

"Her question," he replied, smiling, "was when the soonest you could start might be." If Rusty had taken another bite, no matter how small, after he'd asked, he had no doubt he would have started choking on it. He did, however, still sit bolt upright so fast it unbalanced his chair and nearly sent him to the floor. As he had earlier, he stuttered like crazy, unable to find any kind of coherent words beyond a half-spoken, half-squeaked "Really!?" His mother just sighed, shooting his father an exhasperated look, then turned her attentionto Rusty.

"Yes, honey, really. I- Believe it or not, I asked first pretty much as soon as you closed the door. I was really impressed with Thunderstone despite its clear differences between it and Lakeview. I know Penny's been going there for about a year already, but she hasn't really said much about it, so this was a very pleasant surprise. I actually made plans while I was out getting you those clothes to take you shopping for other school supplies later... although judging from the look on your face, you want to go as soon as we can, don't you?" Rusty was absolutely amazed; not only did he get his wish, but it wasn't being given to him begrudgingly, or in _any_ sort of negative light for that matter! If Rusty didn't know better, he'd say she was _happy_ to see him out of Lakeview! "Honestly, with everything your father and I learned from Mr. Pine, along with the fact that you've already made a friend before you were even enrolled-" Penny neary choked. "-I'm more than happy to transfer you to Thunderstone!"

...Oh.

"Now," she continued, "finish eating and brush your teeth so we can go! We've got you going to your new school tomorrow morning at eight!" Immediately, Rusty began wolfing down his remaining breakfast, then bolted back up the stairs and furiously brushed his teeth as his mother had instructed, instinctively straightened his hair, then nearly flew back downstairs. He had some shopping to do!


	6. The Journey Begins

**Heeeeeeeey, what's up everyone? Davross here with - unfortunately - what is evidently the last chapter I had pre-prepared for FanFiction. After this, updates will still be coming, but will probably not be near as plentiful or frequent as I'd like them to be. I won't promise to have new chapters for it up twice a week, but I will try my best to get at least one, along with an upload of... I dunno,** _ **something**_ **I guess. Don't get me wrong, there may yet be times where I** _ **can**_ **manage two in a week, but, at the same time, it's entirely possible that there might be times where I get no new chapters for this up in a week. I promise, though, that I will do my best, and that no matter what, I won't give up on this. I have a general idea of where to go, and if it doesn't work... well, my mind comes up with plenty of other possible scenarios.**

 **I swear to you all that I will not stop writing this until it is done, even if I somehow lose interest in it, or if my schedule becomes more crowded. The support you guys have been giving me over this** _ **one**_ **story alone that** _ **I**_ **made means the world to me, and I cannot find the words to thank ou enough for it all, but... seriously, thank you.**

 **To my wonderful reviewer these past three chapters, Snowycrystal of Thunderclan: I'm so happy to know that you can find such enjoyment in my work! No, Mr. Pine isn't going to die; he may have minimal time during the story, as it's centered around Rusty and his "journey", but he won't be gone. Once more, I'm so glad I could make you so excited about this and its future chapters! Thank you so much for supporting me and my story from the beginning, Snowy. You're amazing!**

 **Huge thanks to Renegade Storm, The Chaotic Evil, Crystal4060, Echo Iin the Whispering Wind, and - of course - Snowycrystal of Thunderclan for the Favorites, which made me smile more for every one I saw. It's that kind of stuff - along with the wonderful comments, that keep me pushing forward, no matter the difficulties I might face. You all are so wonderful, and, like I told Echo, I have no idea what I did to deserve having all of you.**

 **I believe, dear Snowy, that I've kept you waiting for more than long enough with all of my emotional talk, so without any further ado, and with much excitement,** _ **LET'S DO THIS!**_

Rusty couldn't make his body stop shaking. This day, which he'd been worried might never actually come, was here, and far sooner than he could ever have imagined or hoped for. Even if it was all he would be seeing of it, and it was only to see him situated and familiar with where he was to be at what time, today and tomorrow would be his first two days at Thunderstone. His giddiness this morning was unmatched, not even by yesterday's shopping trip or the meeting the day before. HIs excitement was only heightened by the fact that this was no dream - this was definitely real and it was definitely _happening_.

Just like he couldn't calm his shaking body, he was equally unable to slow his thundering heart, which was pounding rapidly in his chest with such force Rusty was certain it might eventually break loose. He only barely and with no small amount of luck managed to don his new clothes - or a new shirt at least, deciding that a day of nothing but walking in cool weather was not enough to dirty a clean pair of jeans and flannel. He pushed his hair into a semi-proper place with his fingers, slipped on his shoes - the new ones - and made his way downstairs, though in a much calmer manner than last time.

In no time at all (truly, as it had only taken five minutes), he had eaten breakfast, which was just a simple bowl of cereal today, gone back upstairs to brush his teeth, grabbed his new schoolbag from the foot of his bed, and went back downstairs to sit on the couch and wait for Penny to finish preparing herself. He wished she might hurry herself, at least a little, as his excitement to be going was only building more and more the longer he did his waiting. Why did women and girls always take so long!? Dressing one's self and straightening one's hair were seriously not difficult tasks to do!

Finally, a whole _twenty minutes later_ , just when Rusty gotten up and was ready to leave without her, Penny hurried down the stairs dressed and ready, flashed him an apologetic and slightly sheepish smile, and made her way to the door, frustrated and eager brother close behind. Most of Rusty's pent-up excitement evaporated then - not nearly enough to dampen his spirits, mind - and made way for the inevitable, rather large, and slightly worrying thought that this was, good or bad, going to be a very interesting day.

When he was once again standing before the school doors, this time as a student having his first day, his nerves, though not as plentiful or powerful, came rushing back to him. Coupled with his excitement and smaller but still present worries, Rusty felt as if he were quite ready to have a heart attack. In a small fit of nervous vigor, his hand shot out and clasped onto Penny's shoulder, halting her in her tracks and bringing her to cast her brother a curious, if ever so slightly annoyed look, and, unable to come up with a decent explanation for his actions, he simply gave her a sheepish look of his own and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Could you tell me where Guidance is? I'I don't think I ever got my schedule, and I don't know where I'm supposed to go." Thankfully, to his credit, the excuse his brain offered up wasn't false; he really had no schedule, as, he realized halfway there, that they had indeed forgotten to request a schedule for him when they'd come for their meeting with Mr. Pine. Penny gave an exasperated, though clearly still amused sigh, shook her head, and guided him through the doors by his wrist.

Coming to a stop in the middle of the lobby, she pointed towards a staircase off to the right of where they's come in and explained that the Guidance Office was up said stairs, come around the rail, and walk to the secon door, as the first led into the room for In School Detention, or ISD as she'd called it. With that, she bid him goodbye, gave him a small push toward the stairs, and started trekking to her own class.

"Well," Rusty mumbled, taking a deep breath, "here goes."


End file.
